CODE OF VIRGINIA

DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGIES TO COLLECT LAND USE AND CONSERVATION INFORMATION (§
2.2-220.3)

The Secretary of Natural Resources, with assistance from the Secretary of
Agriculture and Forestry, shall establish and maintain a database of the
critical data attributes for onsite best management practices implemented in the
Commonwealth that limit the amount of nutrients and sediment entering state
waters. The database shall document voluntary actions taken by the agricultural
and silvicultural sectors and should enable the application of the collected
data towards projections of progress towards Virginia’s water quality
goals by sharing the data with the appropriate federal or state agencies. To the
extent possible or appropriate, the database shall (i) be uniform in content and
format to applications in the other states of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, (ii)
maintain the confidentiality of information, and (iii) use existing methods of
data collection including reports to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Farm Service Agency, soil and water conservation districts, and localities for
the purpose of land use valuation. Any information collected pursuant to this
section shall be exempt from the Freedom of Information Act (§ 2.2-3700 et
seq.).

HISTORY: 2010, c. 172.